Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
60 Seats and Restraints
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to inflate
in every crash. In some crashes
safety belts are the only restraint.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? 062.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or leaning
forward. Safety belts help keep
you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear a safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle. The safety belts and
the front outboard passenger
airbags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat with both feet
on the floor.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Always secure children
properly in the vehicle. To read
how, see Older Children 071 or
Infants and Young Children 072.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument cluster which
shows the airbag symbol. The
system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See Airbag Readiness
Light 0104 for more information.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 61
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
The driver knee airbag (if equipped)
is below the steering column. The
front outboard passenger knee
airbag (if equipped) is below the
glove box.Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and front
outboard passenger are in the side
of the seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
front outboard passenger, and
second row outboard passengers
are in the ceiling above the side
windows.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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62 Seats and Restraints
Rear Seat Driver Side Shown,Passenger Side Similar
On vehicles with second row
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
they are in the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
{Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with
airbags. SeeAirbag System 059.
Airbags are designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds the specific airbag
system's deployment threshold.
Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is likely
to be in time for the airbags to
inflate and help restrain the
occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors that help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries, mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should inflate is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds depending on
whether the vehicle hits an object
straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or
moving, rigid or deformable, narrow
or wide.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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64 Seats and Restraints
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? 062.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal, knee (if equipped),
and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inflate, they quickly deflate,
so quickly that some people may
not even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 061.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate. The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers by using
the controls for those features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
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Seats and Restraints 75
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.
Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child's body with the
harness.Booster Seats
A booster seat is a child restraint
designed to improve the fit of the
vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child
to see out the window.
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child (Continued)
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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94 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 95
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 95
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . 95
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 95
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . 97
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 104
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 104 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 106
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 106
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Power Steering Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 110
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 110
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 111
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 112
Immobilizer Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 112
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 112
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . 112
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 113
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Brake System Messages . . . . . 117
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 117
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 117
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 118
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 118
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Transmission Messages . . . . . . 120
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 121
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 97
With Rainsense, if the transmission
is in N (Neutral) and the vehicle
speed is very slow, the wipers will
automatically stop at the base of the
windshield.
The wiper operations return to
normal when the transmission is no
longer in N (Neutral) or the vehicle
speed has increased.
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer
The rear wiper/washer controls are
on the end of the windshield wiper
lever.
ON :Press the upper portion of the
button for continuous rear window
wipes. OFF :
The rear wiper turns off when
the button is returned to the middle
position.
INT (Intermittent Rear Wipes) :
Press the lower portion of the button
for rear intermittent wipes.
m=REAR (Rear Washer) : Push
the windshield wiper lever forward
to spray washer fluid on the rear
window. The lever returns to its
starting position when released.
Reverse Gear Wipes
If the rear wiper control is off, the
rear wiper will automatically operate
continuously when the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing low
or high speed wipes. If the rear
wiper control is off, the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing
interval wipes, then the rear wiper
automatically performs interval
wipes.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0121. The windshield washer reservoir is
used for the windshield and the rear
window. Check the fluid level in the
reservoir if either washer is not
working. See
Washer Fluid 0204.Compass
The vehicle may have a compass
display in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
Setting the Compass Zone
Under certain circumstances, such
as during a long trip or moving to a
new area, the compass zone will
need to be reset. If the compass is
not set to the correct zone, it may
give false readings. The compass
zone should be set to the area in
which the vehicle is currently
traveling.
Use the DIC buttons to set the
compass zone:
1. While the vehicle is in P (Park), press the MENU button to
display the DIC menu.
2. Press and hold SET/CLR while the Set Area display is active.
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Instruments and Controls 123
Sort
This allows the first Home Page to
be customized. See“Home Page”
under “Using the System” in the
infotainment manual.
Restore Home Page Defaults
Select Restore Home Page Defaults
to return the Home Page to the
default settings.
Select Yes or No
Display Off
Select to turn the display off. Press
or turn any faceplate button to turn
the display on.
Vehicle Settings
The following list of menu items may
be available:
. Climate and Air Quality
. Comfort and Convenience
. Collision Detection System
. Lighting
. Power Door Locks
. Remote Lock/Unlock/Start
. Return to Factory Settings?
Climate and Air Quality
If equipped, select the Climate and
Air Quality menu and the following
may display:
.
Auto Fan Speed
. Air Conditioning Mode
. Remote Start Auto Heat Seats
. Auto Defog
. Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This allows the selection of the
automatic fan speed. This feature
sets the climate control fan speed to
maintain the interior temperature.
Select High, Medium, or Low.
Air Conditioning Mode
When on, the Air Conditioning will
come on when the vehicle is
started.
Select On, Off, or Last Setting.
Remote Start Auto Heat Seats
On vehicles with remote start and
heated seats, the heated seats can
be set to on or off. Select On or Off.
Auto Defog
When selected and high humidity is
detected, the climate control system
may adjust to outside air supply and
turn on the air conditioner or the
heater. The fan speed may slightly
increase to help prevent fogging.
When high humidity is no longer
detected, the system will return to
its prior operation.
Select or Deselect.
Auto Rear Defog
When selected, this feature turns on
the rear defogger at vehicle start
when the interior temperature is cold
and fog is likely. The auto rear defog
function can be disabled by
pressing
1. When off, the feature
can be turned on by pressing
1.
See “Rear Window Defogger” under
Climate Control Systems 0134.
Select or Deselect.